The Uralkali Haas F1 Team are preparing this weekend for their home grand prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), for the first American Grand Prix since 2019 and a first visit to the circuit for Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin.
It’s a big weekend for Haas as they look to celebrate their first home race since 2019 due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, however it looks set to be another challenging weekend for the team with both drivers being new to the venue.
Schumacher is excited not only for the team’s home race but also to get to experience the COTA track for his first time, in a country where Formula One is rapidly growing.
“It’s our home race so obviously I’m excited about that, but it’s much more than that. I like Austin and the US. It’s special and it’s something where Formula 1 isn’t as big just yet but we’re on the verge of becoming very big, especially due the ‘Drive to Survive’ series. I’m very much looking forward to it as it’s a great show, there’s always so much happening and frankly, I’m just super excited about going back to the states.”
“I think it’s a very special track. You have the first part which is super quick with tight corners and it’s very bumpy, so it’s definitely a challenge but also, it’s a racetrack where overtaking is definitely possible. Hopefully for us it will be a wet race as it will give us the most opportunities but if not, I’m just looking forward to racing out on that track. You say it’s had famous battles previously, and I’m sure we will be able to be a part of those one day.”
“It’s a track which requires a lot of rhythm” – Nikita Mazepin
Like his team-mate, Nikita Mazepin is also excited for his first venture out on the COTA, a circuit which he believes will require a lot of rhythm. It is possibly one of the hardest circuits to learn on the calendar due to it’s mixture of fast flowing corners and heavy braking zones, especially at turns eleven and twelve, making it a challenging weekend for the Russian driver.
“It’s a very interesting venue, it’s a cool track and I’ve never raced there so I’m looking forward to get out there. It’s a track that requires a lot of rhythm, so hopefully I find it quickly! I think I’m looking forward most to the sector 1 high-speeds corners, as I think they’re very tricky. Turn 1 reminds me very much of Turn 3 in Austria, but I’ll need to walk it first to make a complete assumption.”